In Hesiod’s Works and Days, Prometheus’s gift of fire precedes the creation of Pandora. Prometheus steals fire for humans, and Zeus responds by ordering the creation of a beautiful but dangerous “gift.”
Prometheus belongs to the older Titan generation, although he is not portrayed as an enemy of humanity in the same way as Zeus’s opponents in later stories. His name is associated with forethought, while his brother Epimetheus represents hindsight.
The fire episode establishes the myth’s cause-and-effect structure. Human beings gain a crucial source of technology and power, but Zeus imposes a corresponding punishment. Pandora is then sent to Epimetheus, and the opened vessel becomes the mythic explanation for suffering among humans.
Different ancient authors develop Prometheus in different ways. Hesiod emphasizes conflict with Zeus and the origins of human hardship, while later drama gives Prometheus a more expansive role as the teacher of arts and civilization.